Estate worker's daughter Laknapriya wins top awards

By S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr.

ATHLETICS: Eleven year-old N. Laknapriya - a daughter of an ordinary plantation worker created history when she became the first athlete from the plantations to annexe both track and field under 11 athletic championship at the Central Province Schools track and field championship held at the Bogambara Stadium in Kandy last week.

She represented Albion Tamil Vidyalayam, Agrapatana - an estate school with no amenities. This school is in the midst of the tea plantations and not so far away from the Worlds End.

She qualified to participate in the Central Province conducted by the Ministry of Education of the Central Province, first by winning at the circuit level and later at the Nuwara Eliya Zonal level.

She was a star performer in the girls under 11 championship. The rules permitted her to participate only in three events - two track and one field.

She emerged winner in both. She was adjudged Best Athlete in both Track and later in the Field championship and she walked away with two titles.

She won the under 11 100 metres event with a timing of 15.9 seconds. She won the under 11 long jump with a distance of 3.76 metres. She also won the 75 metres event.

Being a daughter of a labourer, Lanknapriya hardly had any coaching and the school head Mr. K. Balakrishnan helped her in whatever way he could and even brought her down to Kandy for the Provincial meet. He said that they did not have proper school grounds, the little girl practised in the estate roads and on any flat land. But despite this handicap, she was able to beat athletes of her age from leading schools in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya which is a great achievement.

Who knows with proper guidance, coaching and nourishing food she could be another Susanthika Jayasinghe.

It is up to the authorities to have a closer look at her and take her under their care before she vanishes into the oblivion by dropping out of school and taking to the profession practised by her parents in the plantation.